Author: Alastair Scott
Date: 07:19:37 06/23/02
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On June 22, 2002 at 17:35:01, Robert Henry Durrett wrote: >Time to Buy a New Computer? Have 1 GHz. > >Awhile back, I posted a bulletin here saying that I planned to wait until the >clock rate got up to 5 GHz before purchasing a new computer. Everybody seemed >to approve that plan. > >Now, however, the plot has thickened and the water has become muddied. It >appears that clock rate is not the whole story anymore. > >To further complicate matters, there are 64-bit and SMP options. These compete >with single-processor machines which are getting faster daily. > >The fact that SMP points to server-type computers doesn't help me to make my >choice either. I really don't need a server! > >Finally, my loyalty to Fritz has become shaken. It is not clear that Fritz will >go to 64-bit. They are becoming too money-oriented. Crafty is looking better >and better every day. > >What to do? What to do? What to do? Nothing. Wait until something breaks down and you're forced to change, just as you would with any other household appliance. Commoditisation is definitely here, and from recent experience I think the point of diminishing returns has been passed. My old 500MHz Pentium III machine cracked up and I built a replacement, based on the Athlon XP 2000+, myself, then a friend who was staying made me an offer for it as his machine was a 166MHz Pentium and he was trying to do a thesis on it. As the offer was about 20 per cent more than I paid for the parts I said yes, then got a Dell machine (Optiplex GX150) second-hand and added more memory. I think the net cost to me in this flurry of machines was about £100 and the Dell machine does everything I could possibly need for a long time; it doesn't feel much slower than the Athlon XP-based machine in operation, to be honest. (And, as I play programs myself and not against each other, a 10MHz machine would probably beat me ;) Alastair
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